Craig Floyd was on the hunt for deep discounts as the Walmart store in West Sacramento opened its doors at 5 a.m.

Floyd found exactly what he was looking for and told KCRA 3, "We got this really nice foot massager with heat. Everything from the giant baskets that are normally $20 to $30, we can see that they were $5 and $10."

Floyd said he bought $300 worth of merchandise for one-third of the price.

John Bulfer was also a lucky shopper. He told KCRA 3 he bought Christmas lights for "half off".

Ashley Brida was also up early to shop.

"Pretty much it was good clearance toys, a lot of Christmas items are on sale," she said.

Analysts said retail sales this holiday season were the weakest in four years, with shopping down by about 3 percent below projections due to bad weather and growing concerns about the economy.

If Congress fails to strike a deal on the fiscal cliff by the end of the year, it would trigger higher taxes and deep spending cuts. Retailers are hoping the next five days will enhance their bottom line.

Shoppers also have an added incentive to shop before year's end.

Thanks to Proposition 30, California's sales tax will go up one quarter of a percent starting Jan. 1.